HIGHLIGHTS
 

SECOND INNINGS

TKR 111/1 after 15 overs: Simmons brings up his 50 in style! The Trinidadian batsman punches a four through the cover point region. Will they finish things off this over itself? Seems like it. Webster flexes his muscles to work a boundary away through the mid off region. With only a run needed off 31 balls, Webster hits a boundary to finish things off again. On another note, he almost took out the non-striker in the process! INTO THE FINALS – This has been a clinical show from the TKR even as a disappointing campaign comes to an end for the Tallawahs.

TKR 90/1 after 14 overs: Lamichhane is back into the attack. Webster slams the attack button now firing over covers to pocket a boundary. Only 11 needed off 36 deliveries with Simmons one short of his half-century now.

TKR 90/1 after 13 overs: Lucky there, Simmons, as a top edge carries all the way to the long leg zone for a maximum. Russell doesn’t believe what he is seeing.

TKR 80/1 after 12 overs: Permaul concedes four. Simmons and Webster bring down the tempo momentarily, running some singles and doubles.

TKR 76/1 after 11 overs: The Knight Riders will only hope that Russell’s anger has come down, after his not-so-fair dismissal earlier today, as he walks in to bowl. Simmons simply doesn’t care, does he? He bludgeons a short one for a six over square leg first and then follows it up with a Dhoniesque helicopter four. Russell has also gifted his opponent a no ball. Nothing seems to be going Jamaica’s way now.

TKR 61/1 after 10 overs: And just when you need it, you have a maiden over out of nowhere. Excellent job by Permaul before heading into the drinks break.

TKR 61/1 after 9 overs: Three wides for Lamichhane already. He cannot afford to gift these runs away; more so, not in a situation like this. Nine runs come from that over in singles, doubles and extras.

TKR 52/1 after 8 overs: Permaul’s back and how! Wickets don’t come but the Tallawahs will be happy that they just managed to keep it down to just two runs this over.

TKR 50/1 after 7 overs: And almost half the job is done with a towering maximum off Simmons’ willow! “Bring it on,” he says. Lamichhane, Mujeeb…. nothing seems to be working Jamaica’s way now.

TKR 42/1 after 6 overs: The Powerplay is done and dusted and it has been TKR all the way, thus far. Mujeeb gets hit for a boundary in this over as well. Simmons has already moved up to 21 off 18 and Webster has scored 16 off 14.

TKR 35/1 after 5 overs: With runs coming way too easily, Powell has been forced to switch to his trump card early and I believe this is the right time to bring Sandeep Lamichhane in with hardly any runs to defend on the board. They need wickets and they need it NOW. Oh, no! Simmons is not in the mood to pay heed to anything as he welcomes the Nepal spinner with a fine boundary down leg.

TKR 30/1 after 4 overs: Webster is in no mood to rest as he finishes this over with a four as well. Mujeeb bowls it short and has been punished with a cut towards the point boundary.

TKR 23/1 after 3 overs: Veerasammy Permaul replaces Fidel Edwards. The move doesn’t exactly pay off as two boundaries come off this over – both hit by Tion Webster. While the first one has been slammed through the covers, the second one off the last ball has come off an outside edge.

TKR 14/1 after 2 overs: Mujeeb Ur Rahman has been called in. He has been Jamaica’s highest wicket-taker this year and Powell would want him to increase his tally right about now. And the move pays off as Narine walks immediately after scoring a boundary of the previous ball. The Trinidadian tries to play it across the line and gets beaten by the inward turn.

TKR 10/0 after 1 over: The explosive Lendl Simmons and Sunil Narine are walking out in the middle to open the innings for TKR. Fidel Edwards will start things off for Jamaica. Welcome runs for the Knight Riders as Simmons just opens the face of the bat, knowing that the third man was up, to let the ball race to the fence. He follows it up with another four off the very next ball, a sharp bouncer, by working it away finely down the square leg area.

FIRST INNINGS

JT 107/7 after 20 overs: Ali Khan will be bowling his first over of the day. That’s quite an interesting move by Pollard, one must say. Khan does a very good job also, except for the last delivery, which goes for a mammoth six over the head of the bowler.

JT 97/7 after 19 overs: Bravo resorts to his slower ones and the batsmen continue to find themselves in all sorts of trouble. Brathwaite was all but gone, mistiming and skying one; it looked like a catch, initially, but it lands safely, a few yards wide of the fielder stationed at mid on.

JT 92/7 after 18 overs: Brathwaite looking to go for the big shots but somehow isn’t being able to middle any of it. Finally, Powell hammers the first six of the day. What a relief that must be! A tad too late?! And off the very next ball, he gets it all wrong while going for another maximum picking out Pollard at long off. Veerasammy Permaul strides out in the middle.

JT 82/6 after 17 overs: A sorry looking scorecard this, thus far, for the Tallawahs. Brathwaite hasn’t scored a run off the first nine balls he has faced tonight. He takes a single off the 10th to pass the strike to Powell. Even a 100 looks like a distant possibility now. Praise should be heaped on Pollard for his accurate reading of the conditions and using his options effectively.

JT 78/6 after 16 overs: A welcome boundary for the Tallawahs as Powell works it past Bravo at slip off the very first ball. But what a day it has been for Narine. He bowled 18 dots, having given away just 13 runs. Economical as ever!

JT 73/6 after 15 overs: Fawad Ahmed to bowl out. Concedes just five runs.

JT 68/6 after 14 overs: RUSSELL IS FURIOUS AND BANGS HIS BAT THRICE ON THE GROUND BEFORE WALKING OFF! The umpire doesn’t hesitate before raising his finger at what was at best a half-hearted appeal. The ball gets him on the top of the thigh pad flap before lobbing up to Bravo at slip. Unlucky! This is a wicket maiden from Narine.

JT 68/5 after 13 overs: And for the first time we will have a pacer operating from one end. Will DJ Bravo be able to remove danger man Russell? Only three runs come from the over.

JT 65/5 after 12 overs: WICKED! It is the googly again which has outfoxed Bonner. There is a sharp turn and the batsman fails to read it and the extra bounce just manages to clip off the bails. In walks Muscle Russell! What can he do here?

JT 60/4 after 11 overs: Hosein will be bowling his last. Can he take another? No, he doesn’t but what a day it has been for the youngster – 17 dots, 14 runs, economy of 3.5 and three wickets!

JT 55/4 after 10 overs: Pierre bounces back to keep things tight. Only three runs off the over and with that we will move on to the drinks break.

JT 52/4 after 9 overs: Powell gets off strike after Fawad returns to bowl his second. He is known for facing problems against left-arm spinners and googlies. Bonner finishes the over off with a boundary.

JT 42/4 after 8 overs: Narine isn’t a happy man after Asif Ali’s misfield at the point region sees the ball race away to the fence. TKR might have picked up some quick wickets but the side has been really sloppy when it comes to fielding or giving away extras. Take Pierre’s five wides for instance!

JT 37/4 after 7 overs: Fawad Ahmed will continue the spin attack. Bonner sets himself deep in the crease to get on top of the bounce off the very first ball and work it away to the deep backward point fence.

JT 28/4 after 6 overs: Sunil Narine will be bowling this over. The batsmen don’t take any unnecessary risks except for once when Powell looked to go for a big shot down leg off the fourth delivery. He, however, loses balance and the ball only balloons to no man’s land.

JT 25/4 after 5 overs: Hosein is wreaking havoc! Asif Ali’s dismissal is almost an action replay of that of Phillips’. A similar bouncer wide of off, cut and Pollard does the job at point. Skipper Rovman Powell has walked in to take matters into his own hands.

JT 21/3 after 4 overs: A good comeback from the Tallawahs as Pierre walks in to bowl his second. Bonner slams the last ball, nice and straight, over the head of the bowler for a boundary. 11 off that over.

JT 10/3 after 3 overs: Nkrumah Bonner welcomes Hosein back with a fine boundary. However, the celebrations are shortlived. Three down in three! Mujeeb, who had been sent in to make the most of the Powerplay departs for a duck. The Afghan looks to execute a reverse sweep but Dwayne Bravo, at slip, takes a stunning catch. Asif Ali is the new man in.

JT 5/2 after 2 overs: It is going to be spinners bowling in tandem. Khary Pierre tastes blood now! Only the second ball of the second over and the score reads 2/2. Glenn Phillips is the one taking the long walk back after the New Zealander plays a cut on a slow bouncer. The ball hits the upper area of the bat to fly straight to Ali Khan at point.

JT 0/1 after 1 over: Tallawahs’ openers Jermaine Blackwood and Glenn Phillips are out in the middle. The Knight Riders will start off with spin and it will be Akeal Hosein, who will be given the responsibility to bowl with the new ball. And what a start that is for TKR! Blackwood takes his eyes off the ball as he goes for a wild, wild swing and the ball crashes into the woodwork. Who do we have here? Mujeeb Ur Rahman walks in at No 3. OPPORTUNITY! Hosein almost gets rid of Rahman. The ball turns viciously into the right-hander and misses the top of off by inches.